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A review by gracefulquills
The Gods Will Hear Us Eventually by Jinny Koh
3.0
This was a rather grim read for me. The story started off on a happy note, zooming in on a typical, lower-middle income Singaporean family of 4, filled with warmth, joy and celebration. The story then took a downward spiral after one of their daughters, Angie, went missing.
I'd like to believe loss brings people (especially family members) closer, but this book seem to set a stage for a different perspective altogether. Here, the tremendous and painful loss seemed to alienate the family members more & more as each of them struggles individually to cope with Angie's absence. Deceit, secrecy, and uncomfortable distances develop within the home, which was supposed to be a place of support and refuge especially during this difficult crisis.
Crippled by loss of her elder daughter, the mother was unable to love her younger daughter freely and treated the child with a haphazardness borderlining on neglect and abuse. Yet one couldn't blame her, for who knows the extent and depth of a mother's love? There is practically no strong support system for the most affected family member, and she is neither particularly good at expressing her feelings to her husband, nor is her husband proactively taking the lead in the crisis. Their marriage suffered a hit as a result. All these factors contributed to the tragedy.
Even though the characters aren't very likable, this raw and authentic story forced me to confront fears and worries of married life, starting a family in Singapore and so on. I say this because the book also covers aspects of everyday cares like taking care of aging parents, shouldering the financial burden of young children and high costs of living, all these on top of facing other trials and tribulations life throws your way. In portraying how the family grapples with all these tribulations, the book has set a pessimistic and bleak tone, which is why I was praying near the last few chapters that "let not all hope be lost, that the family could still be redeemed regardless of whether Angie returns or not."
Overall, the storyline was able to keep me engaged despite its two-dimensional characters. Yet the payoff in the ending wasn't great, driving home the message the irrevocable damage done by Su Lai and that familial love can only redeem so much. It has its limits. I would say a good redemptive 'happy ending' would be this: Angie remains missing, the pain and hurt of the loss will always be there, but the family finds a way to reconcile and live together contentedly again in this new normal.
This is a book I don't recommend to anyone who's Singaporean (especially if you're not well-to-do) because it hits close to home and makes you feel absolutely depressed. It isn't a feel good book.
I'd like to believe loss brings people (especially family members) closer, but this book seem to set a stage for a different perspective altogether. Here, the tremendous and painful loss seemed to alienate the family members more & more as each of them struggles individually to cope with Angie's absence. Deceit, secrecy, and uncomfortable distances develop within the home, which was supposed to be a place of support and refuge especially during this difficult crisis.
Crippled by loss of her elder daughter, the mother was unable to love her younger daughter freely and treated the child with a haphazardness borderlining on neglect and abuse. Yet one couldn't blame her, for who knows the extent and depth of a mother's love? There is practically no strong support system for the most affected family member, and she is neither particularly good at expressing her feelings to her husband, nor is her husband proactively taking the lead in the crisis. Their marriage suffered a hit as a result. All these factors contributed to the tragedy.
Even though the characters aren't very likable, this raw and authentic story forced me to confront fears and worries of married life, starting a family in Singapore and so on. I say this because the book also covers aspects of everyday cares like taking care of aging parents, shouldering the financial burden of young children and high costs of living, all these on top of facing other trials and tribulations life throws your way. In portraying how the family grapples with all these tribulations, the book has set a pessimistic and bleak tone, which is why I was praying near the last few chapters that "let not all hope be lost, that the family could still be redeemed regardless of whether Angie returns or not."
Overall, the storyline was able to keep me engaged despite its two-dimensional characters. Yet the payoff in the ending wasn't great, driving home the message the irrevocable damage done by Su Lai and that familial love can only redeem so much. It has its limits. I would say a good redemptive 'happy ending' would be this: Angie remains missing, the pain and hurt of the loss will always be there, but the family finds a way to reconcile and live together contentedly again in this new normal.
This is a book I don't recommend to anyone who's Singaporean (especially if you're not well-to-do) because it hits close to home and makes you feel absolutely depressed. It isn't a feel good book.